Summer Hearts
by shana.rose
Summary: Sybil Crawley has always wanted to do Doctors Without Borders so when the chance comes she leaps for it. Sybil's prepared for a summer of long clinic hours and paperwork when she meets foreign correspondent Tom Branson. As sparks fire will this relationship stay a summer fling or become something so much more?
1. A New Adventure

"Now are you sure you have everything, dear?" Cora asked in Sybil's ear as she squeezed her close.

"Muuum," Sybil groaned. Rolling her eyes playfully, she glanced at the clock on the wall. She should really head to security right now.

Her dad chuckled as Sybil finally managed to pry herself away from her mum. "You know your mother, ever the worrier."

She laughed as Cora glared at her father. "Forgive me Robert, but our baby girl is going to be gone for three months in a foreign country! I think I'm allowed to worry." Turning around to Sybil, Cora cupped her face in her hands. "Oh Sybil, are you _sure_ you want to do this? Guatemala is awfully far away and I'm sure they will understand if you change your mind-"

She groaned ready to explain to her mother again that she wanted to do this when she her sisters Mary and Edith walked over. "Sorry we're late. You know how things are," Mary said as she covered her mobile with her other hand. "No, Mr. Bellasis. I'm telling you as your attorney that it is in your best interest to wait a few days before talking to the media."

Edith rolled her eyes as Mary went back to her call. Pulling Sybil into a quick hug, she released her before going on. "I'm glad we made it, I told her we were going to miss you, but you know Mary. She just _had_ to squeeze in a meeting right before I was supposed to get her."

Hanging up the phone, Mary pushed her hair off her face, glaring at Edith before kissing Sybil on the cheek.

Sybil couldn't help but grin at her sisters' antics, pulling both of them into an embrace. Sybil closed her eyes and breathed them in, knowing that she'd miss her sisters terribly.

The clock struck seven causing Sybil to sigh. "I have to go or I'll miss my flight." Moving over to kiss both her parents on the cheek, Cora pulled her into another hug.

Cora kissed her on the head, before reminding her to call her both at her layover and when she got off her flight.

She walked over to the back of the queue. Waiting for her turn, she couldn't help but think about the two crazy weeks that lead her to this flight.

_Sybil walked into her flat after lunch with her sisters. Picking up her mail, she mumbled to herself, "Bill, bill, coupon, bill, St. Thomas Hospital, bill-" Her hand froze as she looked at the envelope from St. Thomas Hospital. _

_She was both terrified and excited as she looked at the envelope. She had ended her residency three months ago and had been interviewing ever since. They interviewed her ages ago and while they liked her, they had said they didn't have any openings at the time._

_Taking a deep breath, Sybil opened the letter and screamed. Pulling out her phone, she called her best friend Gwen. "Gwen! I did it! I got a job at St. Thomas Hospital!"_

Passing through the metal detection Sybil turned back and waved her family goodbye, feeling the excitement build as she walked forward.

* * *

Sybil sighed happily as she relaxed into her first class seat, immensely glad that her father and Mary had talked her out of coach. A seventeen hour flight in coach would not be fun.

Buckling her seatbelt, she closed her eyes and thought about the crazy two weeks that led to her getting this flight as the pilot announced it was time for lift-off.

_Her family smiled and grinned at her as she told them her exciting news. "Darling, that's wonderful," Mary said, squeezing her hand. _

"_How wonderful, dear!" Cora said, smiling politely. Robert smiled weakly, "Congrats Sybil."_

_Sybil smiled. She knew her parents didn't understand why she chose to be a doctor. It wasn't anything personal. It just wasn't what they thought a lady should do. They understood Mary being a lawyer and Edith being a novelist, but being a doctor was somehow out of their reach. Despite their reservations on her occupation, they had always tried to be supportive._

"_When do you start?" Edith asked._

_Sybil sighed. "Unfortunately, not until the fall. They just found out that someone's moving to the States and they immediately thought of me, so I suppose that's a good thing." Shaking her head, she said, "Now I have to find something to do for the summer until I start at St. Thomas'."_

"_Why not take a holiday? I mean how often in the adult world do you get to enjoy the whole summer off like when we were children?" her brother-in-law Matthew stated._

_She supposed it was true, but still what would she do for a whole summer?_

_Mary laughed. "Honey, you're forgetting who you're talking to. This is the girl growing up who tried to volunteer at a homeless shelter when she was eight."_

"_Well, Sybil has always been a restless soul," Granny announced with a small smile._

_Laughing, they all continued to eat when suddenly Matthew's mother Isobel spoke up. "Sybil, have you ever thought about Doctors Without Borders?"_

_Sybil nodded. "I've always wanted to do it, but it's just never worked out and it's too late to apply now. Why?"_

_Isobel nodded in understanding. Pursing her lips, she said, "Well, you see I have a friend who works there. We had lunch today when she got a phone call about someone dropping out at the last second."_

"_Really?"_

_Isobel smiled. "Really. They would probably need you to come as soon as possible. Do you think you could be ready in a week or so?"_

"_Absolutely!" Sybil said eagerly._

_By the end of the week, she had all her shots and paperwork filled out and was interviewing people to sublet her flat to for the summer._

* * *

Stepping out of La Aurora International Airport, Sybil stared out at the night sky. It was seven forty and she felt wide awake after sleeping all those hours on the plane.

The skyline looked so different from the London skyline, she couldn't help finding it beautiful.

Walking to the curb, Sybil found herself an available taxi and gave them the address of the hotel she would be staying in for the next three months.

* * *

Sybil stared out the window and watched as the view turned from the countryside to a cityscape. For the millionth time she couldn't help but be astounded by the difference between here and home. In some ways it reminded her of Seville, yet it truly was a city of its own.

Taking out her camera from her purse, she began snapping photos. Looking over the pictures on the screen, she laughed at the photo she took with her sisters as they helped her pack.

"_What about this?" Edith asked, pulling out a dark blue strapless dress from her closet._

_Sybil scrunched up her face. "When would I wear it?"_

_Edith shrugged her shoulders. "You never know, Sybil."_

"_For once I agree with Edith," Mary said from her spot on the bed. Walking to the closet, Mary browsed through her clothes pulling out a few dresses and pushed them into Sybil's arms. "Take a few, darling. After all, you never know."_

_Sybil sighed, but nodded. She doubted she'd need any, but she supposed she could throw a few in if she had the space._

_Fluttering around the room, Sybil grabbed this and that and piled it into the suitcase with Mary immediately taking the clothes out and folding them for her._

"_Sybil, do want to borrow some of my suitcases? If you're going for three months, you'll need to bring more clothes than just this." Edith looked around the room before spotting another suitcase. "There's one."_

_Edith pulled at and was surprised by how heavy it was. "Good lord Sybil! What do you have in here?"_

_She giggled at her sister and a blush crossed her cheeks as she admitted, "Medical books."_

_Mary and Edith laughed. "Of course you do!" Edith said as she shook her head._

"_I know you're going there to help save the world darling, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself," her eldest sister said as she tugged her short hair behind her ears. "You're going to be living in a foreign country for the next few months, enjoy yourself. Go dancing, drink wine, eat good food, be a tourist, take lots of pictures, climb a mountain…"_

"_You want her to climb a mountain?" Edith asked, frowning._

_Mary rolled her eyes. "My point is while you're there you should let yourself go. Relax and live a little."_

_Sybil shook her head and smirked. "I make no promises, Mary." Reaching over to her desk, she grabbed her camera._

_Edith suddenly grinned as an idea popped into her head. "Why don't we take a picture?"_

"_Yes, so you won't forget us," Mary teased._

_Sybil laughed. Sitting in between her two sisters, she laughed as Edith held up the camera._

Looking at the shaky camera frame, Sybil couldn't help but grin.

* * *

Sybil paid the taxi driver and somehow managed to move all cases into the hotel on her own.

"Welcome, señorita!"

Carefully maneuvering her cases over to check-in desk, she replied, "Hola! Right, um…hice una-"

The man smiled, humoring her. "Senorita, I speak English."

Sybil laughed. "Oh good! Now you won't have to listen to my rusty Spanish."

"What can I do for you?"

Sybil told him her information and a minute later she had her key, with the receptionist was running off to solve a problem.

Blowing a stray hair off her face, Sybil tried to climb the stairs carrying her many bags. She was about five steps up when she felt herself wavering. She could feel herself falling back and closed her eyes when she felt herself lean back onto a very firm wall.

"Easy there," a voice said from behind her and into her right ear.

Tilting her head, she was surprise to find a head and the most stunning pair of blue eyes she'd ever seen attached to the wall- which she now realized was a very broad and muscular chest.

Blushing as she realized his hand was on her waist, she pushed herself off him and gave him her thanks.

The Irishman grinned. "No thanks needed. Couldn't let you fall to your death now, could I?"

Sybil grinned back and said, "Regardless, thanks. I hate to be the girl who was killed by luggage."

"Well in that case, may I help you carry your bags?"

Sybil nodded, passing him the several cases she had tried to carry in her left hand before splitting the luggage in her right hand between her left.

They walked in comfortable silence up the flight of stairs. "What room are you in?" he asked as they began walking through the hall.

"Um…room number 217," Sybil said as she glanced at the doors. He chuckled.

"What?" Sybil asked curiously.

Grinning at her, he put her cases down in front of her door before walking two doors down and tapping at the door. "Howdy neighbor," he said in his awful attempt at an American accent.

Sybil bit her lip as she tried not to laugh.

Putting her key into the door, she opened the door when she realized something. Turning back to the Irishman, she said, "I didn't catch your name."

"It's Tom, Tom Branson. And yours?"

"Sybil Crawley."

"Well Sybil Crawley it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope I see you around."

Looking into his eyes, she could hear Mary's voice whispering in her ear. _"I know you're going there to help save the world darling, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself."_

"Yeah, you too," Sybil said, smiling softly before opening the door.


	2. Clinic Hours & Tea

**A/N: WARNING PLEASE READ! I meant to say this in the first chapter but I was honestly still unsure about whether or not to include this aspect in the story. While Guatemala is a beautiful and awe-inspiring country visually with its lush rainforests and architecture, it also has many issues. One of the problems that will be mentioned throughout the story is its extremely high amount of people who have been raped and or kidnapped.**

**My mom actually had a distant cousin who was kidnapped while she was driving from El Salvador to Guatemala. She was missing for a year. Women are the usual target and American women traveling alone are even more in danger. While there is a Doctors Without Borders Center in Guatemala City, thanks to a policy change in the Health Ministry a few years back, Guatemala does have healthcare for victims of sexual violence. Now before anyone panics, I will say this: nothing is going to happen to Sybil or Tom in this story. The characters may talk about it and there will be scenes with Sybil working with patients dealing with these issues, the characters themselves will be witnessing these issues from the outside.**

**This chapter will have a scene involving this so if you do not want to read it, you should stop reading after the scene with Sybil at the café.**

* * *

She was barely in the door when she saw a dark haired man in slightly faded green scrubs sitting on the receptionist counter with a lollipop in his mouth. Taking out the lolli, he eyed her curiously as he asked, "Crawley right?"

Surprised, she nodded, "Yes hi! Um you can call me Sybil." Stretching out her hand, the dark haired man raised an eyebrow. Chuckling at her eagerness, the man shook her hand. "Nurse Barrow."

Jumping off the counter, Nurse Barrow gave her a hand a light tug. "Come on doc. Got loads to show ya."

Following a few steps behind, Sybil frowned. "Wait, but I thought the director, Dr. Hughes, was supposed to give me the tour?"

"She was but something came up. Don't worry doc, you'll meet her. Her office is the last stop on the tour," he said as he looked forward and made eyes at a curly haired male nurse.

They walked through the clinic with Barrow waving to one door or another as he gave the barest of information while Sybil asked questions that marginally got ignored.

"And here we are at Dr. Hughes office." Tapping at the door, Barrow gave her a wink before calling out behind his shoulder, "Good luck!"

Sybil snapped her head back and forth between the door and Nurse Barrow wondering if she should just go right through or wait and knock again when the doctor opened the door. The woman looked to be in her mid-fifties, and had a very kind and gentle look to her face. "Doctor Crawley I presume?"

Taking a quick breath, she smiled and nodded. "Yes," sticking out her hand she gave her a steady handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you Doctor Hughes."

Dr. Hughes gave her a small smile. "Please call me Elsie and the feeling's mutual dear. Now don't be shy. Come on in and sit down."

She nodded again, sitting in the hard seat as Elsie sat on the other side of the desk. She suddenly felt like she was in the Headmaster's office back in boarding school all over again.

Elsie pulled on her reading glasses as she glanced over the papers in front of her. "So it says here that you're a gynecologist?"

"Yes."

"It also says that you've taken several classes on infectious diseases and on trauma psychology."

Sybil straightened her back and lifted her head confidently like her Granny had told her many times a how a Lady should. However, unlike her posture, her voice wavered as she answered, "Um yes."

"And that you will be starting at St. Thomas Hospital in London at the end of summer?"

"That's correct."

Elsie pulled the glasses off her face and smiled. "Congratulations, St. Thomas is a wonderful hospital."

Smiling brightly, she felt herself finally relax. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, dear. In fact, if anything I should thank you for swooping in at the last second."

Sybil felt her cheeks flush pink. "It's my pleasure. I've always wanted to do this program but I never thought I would get the chance."

Smiling fondly, Dr. Hughes clucked, "Well regardless thank you. We're a bit short staffed this year, so your help is very much needed." Shuffling the papers on her desk she said, "Now why don't we fill out this paperwork so I can put you to work."

* * *

A small wisp of steam came out of her tea as Sybil stirred her spoon. She kept stirring it idly as she reviewed her patient files from this morning. She was so focus on figuring out the best treatments for her patients with the limited supplies and technology she had, that she hadn't noticed him until he spoke.

"Excuse me, but is that seat taken?"

Looking up, she couldn't help but smile at the Irishman before her. "Just by my evil paperwork." He laughed before he moved into the seat across from her.

His lips were tugged into a wide grin that almost reached his eyes, his brilliant blue eyes that seem to twinkle in the sunlight.

Shaking her head as if to shake away her thoughts, she asked, "It's Tom right?"

He nodded. "Tom Branson at your service Dr. Crawley."

Surprised, she started to ask, "How did…?"

Pointing at her scrubs, he replied, "You're wearing an ID badge."

Sybil shut her eyes tightly in slight embarrassment. _Of course how else would he know?_

When she finally opened her eyes she found him still smiling at her, this time a little more amused. Coiling her fingers around her cup, she brought it a breath away from her mouth before she asked, "What do you do?"

He slipped his hand into his jacket and pulled out a press pass. "Foreign Correspondent for the _Guardian_."

Pulling her cup away from her mouth, she licked a stray drop of tea from her bottom lip. "And what's that like?"

Shaking his head slightly, Tom looked at her before giving her a small joyful smile. "Grand. I get to work on a large scope of stories. One week I could work on an article on the current economic conditions in Guatemala, and the next I could possibly write something about the national bird, or a human's right piece! As long as it has something to do with Central America, I could do anything."

Sybil felt his enthusiasm rubbing off on her and she grinned. "So you can write about anything that piques your interest?"

"Well, occasionally my editor back in London will reject something or give me an actual assignment of what he wants me to write that week but yeah…" he shrugged his shoulders as he continued on, "anything that piques my interest really."

Sybil smiled as she leaned her face onto her right hand. "I'm jealous. That sounds marvelous, getting to write your thoughts and opinions down and actually having people listen."

"Whether anyone actually reads what I write is still up for debate. For all I know, they could be skipping my pieces altogether to read the sports or the lifestyle pages."

Looking into his eyes just for a second, she could see a flicker of something. A nick in an otherwise confident façade.

"You should have more confidence in yourself," her voice said softly.

He smiled back, his eyes seeming to twinkle brighter as he said back, "Maybe I should."

* * *

Looking at her chart, she was glad to see that this was her last patient of the day. "Florentia Gonzalez?"

A young girl no more than fifteen shyly walked over. Sensing her nerves, she gave the girl a reassuring smile.

The girl kept her head down as she walked into examination room five. Sybil closed the door before taking a look a look at her chart. Shutting her eyes, she took a moment to push back the tears that were beginning to form.

Racking her brain quickly for the words she needed, she slowly strung out her question in Spanish. "¿Cuándo ocurrió el asalto sexual?" **When did the sexual assault occur?**

The girl of fourteen pressed her hand against her stomach as she quietly replied, "Hace trece semanas."

_Thirteen weeks ago, _Sybil at Florentina's hand, she couldn't help but think that she would start showing soon.

* * *

A/N II: Apologies for my Spanish. While I did take Spanish in High School, it's been ages since I've actually used any of it so I'm using Google Translate to help me out a bit here.


End file.
